Method for making sound metal ingots and other castings.



R. A. HADFIELD.

METHOD FOR MAKING SOUND METAL INGOTS AND OTHER GASTINGS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1906.

933,751, Patented Sept. 14,1909.

y I l Ania T7 ATTORNEYS ROBERT ABBOTT HADFIELD, OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND.

METHOD non MAKING SOUND METAL mors AND o rnnacns'rmes.

. pecifications)! Lette -s en Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

Application filed Hay 1'9, 1906. Serial No. 316,451.

T o allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT ABnorrHAn- FIELD, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Sheffield, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metln ods for Making Sound Metal Ingots and other Castings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of metal ingots and other castings, and has for its object more particularly to preventor reduce the formation of blow-holes, pipes, cavities and the like in the upper portion of steel and other metal ingots or other castings (hereinafter referred to generically as ingots).

Various means havebeen proposed heretofore to accomplish the purposes which my.

present invention has in view, but such means have not been fully satisfactory.

The object of my present invention is to provide means for the above indicated pur-.. pose which Wlll be convenient 1n practice,

easy of application and comparatively inexpensive, .to keep the metal in the upper por-' tion of an ingot or other mold in the liquid condition necessary to enable it to flow and compensate for shrinking of the ingot on cooling and in .consequence reduce the formation of blow-holes, cavities and the like" .in the ingot and the loss resulting therefrom. For this purpose, according to-my invention, the metal in the upper part of an ingot or other mold is heated and maintained in a liquid condition by t-he combus tion in contact therewith or in close proximity thereto of solid fuel, for example, charcoal, by means of a blast of compressed air which is caused to impinge on thefuel.

while the same is directly or indirectly sup-' ported by the'metal below. To prevent. carburization by contact with the burning carbonaceousfuel, and also to retard loss of *heat from metal by radiation from the upper surface thereof, a layer of fusible material,

for example, iron slag, having'no injurious action on the metal, may be interposed being drawing in which tween the metal and the fuel. Reference is to. be had to the accompany- Figure 1 illustrates an lngot mold together with a blast apparatus suitable for the purposes of my invention','and Fig. 2 is a simllar detail view of the upper portion of the mold showing the same'filled.

A indicates a suitable excavation or pit iuwhich the bottom B of the mold is set, on which is supported themold body C having a downwardly contracted chamber and provided with projections 'C' which servefor the convenient lifting and carrying of. the

mold. At the upper portion I have shown the upwardly contracted sand head 1) contained in the ring :13. The head I) should preferably be of some non-conducting material and of a depth and diameter to, suit the particular ingot which itis desired to feed with metal to compensate forshri-nkage G with a number of small pipes G radiating therefrom, the said pipes having downwardly directed apertures G I prefer an arrangement in which the, entire supply .pipe F or at least the upper portion thereof may be turned about its own axis so that the blast device G G may be swung centrally over the mold, or away tothe side of it when not required for use. Instead of mounting the supply pipe or a portion thereof to turn, it might be otherwise movable to and from its operative position.

After casting an ingot in the mold in the ordinary way, solid fuel is placed 'in the upper part or head of the mold above the fluid metal with or without the interposition of a layer of slag or equivalent protecting material which may be introduced in a fluid or powdered condition. Then the discharge end or nozzle of the 7 air supply pipe is brought over the mold, and by opening the valve F a blast of air is turned on and caused to impingeupon the ignited fuel below, so as to cause vigorous combustion thereof and the production of intense heat that will serve to maintain the metal in the upper part or head of the mold in a molten condition. Fresh fuel is added from-time to time so long as it is necessary to maintain that is, piping in the ingot and thereby enable a very considerable saving in metal to be ettected as compared with ordinary practice, according to which a large portion of the upper part ofthe ingot has to be cut off.

I claim:

1. The herein-described improvement in the casting of ingots and the like which consists in casting the metal, placing solid fuel above the upper surface of the metal and directing a downward blast against such fuel.

2. The herein-described improvement in the casting of ingots, which consists in casting the metal, placing a layer of slag on top thereof, adding solid fuel above the slag and 15 directing a downward blastof air against such fuel to. promote its combustion and keep the metal in a fluid condition.

I11 testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two .sub- 20 scribing witnesses.

ROBERT ABBOTT HADFIELD.

\Vitnesses G. H. IIEMSOLL, E. RODGERS. 

